Special teams is considered by hockey coaches and players alike to be a difference maker, especially in tightly contested matchups.
One facet of the Everett Silvertips’ special teams, its penalty kill, has been steady, while the other, their power play, has been streaky.
The Silvertips’ power play has picked up lately, however, humming along at a healthy clip since their 2-0 win over the Tri-City Americans on Jan. 25, potting 13 goals in 35 opportunities in six games with the man advantage. That 37.1 percent rate, albeit in a very small sample size, would easily be the best in the Western Hockey League — the league’s top power play, Spokane, scores at a 29 percent pace.
Everett forward Connor Dewar believes the team has benefited from returning to a more simple approach on the power play.
“To see a couple go in helps with the confidence and the thought of stepping out on the ice and saying, ‘Hey, maybe we’ll get one here,’ or ‘We have a good chance to get one,’” Dewar said. “It’s a deciding factor in a lot of the games that we play, so it’s nice to finally be able to contribute on that special teams side and not just on the penalty kill.”
Silvertips coach Dennis Williams said that increased practice time — Everett hasn’t played a weekday game since Jan. 9 in Kelowna, British Columbia — has also made it easier for Everett to fine-tune its power play.
The addition of Zack Andrusiak added a unique weapon to the Silvertips’ power play when Everett acquired him Jan. 1 in a blockbuster trade that sent overager Sean Richards to the Seattle Thunderbirds, adding a heavy shot and a quick trigger to the Silvertips’ first unit.
“He has one of the best shots in the league,” Dewar said. “It’s definitely not a shot that myself or Bryce (Kindopp) has, or a lot of guys in the league (have), really.”
Andrusiak’s arrival didn’t produce instant results. In Andrusiak’s first nine games with his new team through Jan. 20, Everett was just 3-for-37 on the power play, an anemic 8.1 percent clip.
Williams said the unit has been more cohesive in recent games than it was toward the beginning of Andrusiak’s tenure with the Silvertips.
Everett’s power play has picked up lately because its first unit — Dewar, Andrusiak, Bryce Kindopp and Wyatte Wylie — has picked up its production. Of the Silvertips’ 13 power-play goals in the last six games, 10 belong to that unit.
“Overall, I think they’re just working well as a unit,” Williams said. “I thought there were too many guys who were calling their own numbers out there, we always say. (They’re) too worried about getting their shot or puck touches. They’ve bought in better into the idea that if a power-play unit is going to have success, it’s going to have to stay the same. I think they’re playing better as a five-man unit.”
The Silvertips’ second power-play unit, consisting of forwards Robbie Holmes and Max Patterson, defensemen Artyom Minulin, Sahvan Khaira, Gianni Fairbrother and rookie Gage Goncalves, hasn’t been as high-yielding as the first unit, but Williams said he been pleased with the way it’s played.
“It’s more of a heavy hitting unit,” Williams said. “They might not get as much ice time as the other unit, but I’m not afraid to start them, either, and get them out there and get those pucks coming through.”
Passes closed
The Red Deer Rebels, scheduled to play the Chiefs in Spokane on Tuesday night, could be stuck on the east side of the state if conditions on mountain passes do not improve. Snoqualmie Pass was closed on Interstate 90 both directions all night, and Stevens Pass was closed to oversize vehicles each direction.
It’s possible the Rebels may be forced to travel through Portland and then up Interstate 5 up to Everett, a roughly nine-hour trek.
Silvertips general manager Garry Davidson said both teams are monitoring the situation closely.
A family reunion
Brent Sutter, who coaches the Rebels, will make his second visit to Angel of the Winds Arena since Riley debuted in the WHL in 2015-2016. Brent is the brother of Ron Sutter, Riley’s father.
Injury updates
Dawson Butt (upper body) has been upgraded to day-to-day, Davidson said. Davidson added that Butt was doubtful for Wednesday’s game at Red Deer, but could be available for two weekend road games, at Kelowna on Friday and at Seattle on Saturday.
Josh Horton covers the Everett Silvertips and AquaSox for The Everett Daily Herald. Follow him on Twitter (@joshhortonEDH) or reach out to him over email (jhorton@heraldnet.com).
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